Peter Jackson’s directorial debut, Bad Taste, was released in 1987.
The New Zealand science-fiction horror comedy began as a short film and developed into Jackson’s first feature. He made it with friends and collaborators, working on the project over several years while using handmade effects and costumes. The film follows an alien invasion of the fictional town of Kaihoro.
Bad Taste helped establish Jackson’s early reputation for combining grotesque horror with absurd comedy. It premiered at the Cannes Film Market in 1987 and later gained a cult following internationally. The film is sometimes confused with Jackson’s 1992 horror comedy Braindead, which was released in the United States under the title Dead Alive.
Jackson’s later productions became much larger, but Bad Taste remains notable as the low-budget feature that launched his filmmaking career.